CONCERT REVIEW: INTERPOL LIVE at KOOL HAUS

The one good thing I can say about the KoolHaus is that no matter where you stand, there's a good view. It's not ideal for someone under 5'10" but for the tall people it was a good show.

I can't help but compare Interpol to seeing Franz Ferdinand at the Docks. It's a good way to evaluate current bands in concert. There's a strange commonality between new indy bands. They don't stray far from the studio version. They are pretty stiff on stage. And, it starts to get repetitive when you hear it for two hours. Don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan of Interpol. But I left feeling like I didn't really need to see that. I admit I was even bored 50% through once they had played all my favorites from ANTICS. There wasn't any range in the performance. Daniel Kessler (a guitarist and vocalist) voice doesn't change vocal ranges so the music sounds templated. The crowd sucked too. They were in the age range when you should be rockin out ie. early twenties but they were dead, barely bobbing their heads.

I know many people criticize big, commercial concerts, like Jack Johnson, but for a guy that has a limited range and style he kept my attention for two hours. And, that crowd belted out the lyrics like and anthem on almost every song.

It will be interesting to hear their next album to see if they deviate from the Interpol sound to dabble in something else. I call it the "Strokes Syndrome".